Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700230125-6 COUNTRY SUBJECT HOW PUBLISHED WHERE PUBLISHED CLASSIFICATION C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY INFORMATION FROM FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, GDR, Hungary, Poland, Rumania Political, Sociological - Education, Rusaian- language courses Daily, weekly newspapers; biweekly, monthly periodicals Sofia, Prague, Sliven, Berlin, Budapest, Mannheim, Warsaw, Krakow, Bucharest PUBLISHED 11 Aug 1951-14 Dec 1954 LANGUAGE Albanian. Anl a 0-- n-__ .,r....,.., ......... rx. ..... r..,. rm . ?n,.,n x x rx. n.r i,. . n. i , n r r , . ...rn,n r ..run .r .x xr.u uu....... n STATE ARMY CD NO. DATE OF INFORMATION 1950-1955 DATE DIST. 6 ZZIA&E 1955 NO. OF PAGES 5 SUPPLEMENT TO REPORT NO. THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION DATA ON RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE COURSES IN THE SATELLITES (Comment: Selective scanning of the Satellite press for the years 1950-1954 produced the figures contained in this report on the number of Russian-language courses and students during those years. Although the press did not give absolute numbers for all these years, it did show the existence of Russian language in- structions in one form or another. Although numbers on a local basis were found often, only national figures are given in this report. Russian-language courses, however, were just one aspect of a Russification policy manifested in many other forms, such as Soviet friendship societies, special months devoted to this friendship, Russian literature, exhibitions, plays, movies, ad- visers, and teachers. Numbers in parentheses refer to appended sources.) No absolute, national figures on Russian-language instruction were found in the press of Albania. The Soviet-Albanian Friendship Society offers' Russian-language courses in various areas of the country and sporadic mention was made of them on a local level, The teaching of Russian in schools as a general policy was not brought out in the press. Bulgaria The following are total figures for ;ussian-language courses and students, as given in the press, for the school years indicated: 1950-51 No figures available No figures available 1951-52 5,000 (planned) 100,000 (planned) (1) 1951-52 1 2 3,000 (actual) 60,000 (actual) (2) 95 -53 T,143 110,000 (3) 1953-54 6,750 90,909 (4) 1954-55 6,500 (5) No figures. available - 1 - CLASSIFICATION g-O-g-F--D-)%-N-T-I-A-L Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700230125-6 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700230125-6 C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L During the 5 years Just completed over 1.5 million persons studied the Russian language in Czechoslovakia. (9$ The following are the total figures, on an annual basis, of the progress of the People's Russian Course (Lidove kursy rustiny). School Year No of Study Grouse No of Students 1950-51 18,000 plus 320,000 plus (6) 1951-52 19,363 309,774 (7) 1952-53 21,911 326,444 (8) 1953-54 17,700 266,000 plus (9) German Democratic Republic Ta Scanning of current as well as back issues of GDR newspapers (namely, ealiche Rundschau and Neues Deutschland, central newspapers; and Deutsche Lehrerzeituna, semiweekly newspaper for GDR teachers) and periodicals in- cluding several issues of Freie Welt, organ of the German-Soviet Friendship Society) revealed only one publication which carried any references to Russian-language courses or students. Nine issues (January-August 1954 and October 1954) of Russischunterricht, nthly monto y periodical for Russian-language instruction in elementary and secondary (published by the GDR Ministry of Public Education), were scanned. The following issues were the only ones containing information directly con- cerned with the extent of Russian-language instruction in the GDE: 1. The May 1954 issue contains excerpts from the 4 March 1954 Decree of the GDR Council of Ministers concerning the improvement of work of non- technical schools. Stipulations include: (a) recruitment of secondary school graduates for training as Russian-language teachers to be intensi- fied; (b) admission quota for training of teachers in Russian studies at pedagogic institutes to be increased to 500 students annually; and (c) as of 1 September 1954, technical advisers for the instruction of Russian language are to be assigned to all Kreise by the Public Education Depart- ments of the Bezirksraete (Bezirk councils). (10) 2. The June 1954 issue contains an article reviewing progress made in 10 years of Russian-language instruction in the GDR (e.g., improvement in teaching methods and political qualifications of Russian-language teachers). A great part of the article is devoted to political propaganda. (11) 3. The October 1954 issue contains an article concerning teaching methods and requirements for Russian-language courses in GDR universities and schools of advanced education (Rochachulen). The article points out that, in 1951, the Russian language was made a required subject for all students at universities and schools of advanced education. (12) The 24 November 1954 issue of Informationsbuero West, an anti-Communist daily news bulletin published in West Berlin stated: "Fritz Lange, new GDR Minister of Public Education, has announced that some of his first measures will be to increase Russian-language instruction, to utilize fully the capacities of the schools for training Russian-language - 2 - C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700230125-6 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700230125-6 ~-a-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-p-L teachers, and to induce those Russian-language teachers who left the teaching profession after 1945 to return to their former occupations that in 1955 there would be an increase in the number Of GDR secondary students who will be sent to study at universities in the USSR. He tateed that at least 800 such students will be studying at Soviet universities in 2955, and that, by 1960, this figure would be increased to 1,000 students annual In 1954, a total of 486 secondary school students were sent to stud eY? Y in the H A screening of gzabd N`n. official paper of the Hungarian Communist party, for September 1951, September 1953, June 1954 and September only one item on Ruesian-lanuage courses. This appeared 1954, disclosed and stated that the Hungarian-Soviet Society on 26 September tar 1954 ing new courses in Russian as of Octobe14. ThThe ercourses ourses wereatog) was start- ing through 15 June 1955 and would cos9510 forints were to last from figures were given. per month. No enrollment Hungarian radio broadcasts were checked for the same 4 months. A half- hour Russian lesson was given 8 times in September 1951, 12 times in September 1953, 10 times in June 1954, and 8 times in September 1954. (14) The bimonthly periodical Kozneveles discussing the 14-1 for elementary schools and hi ' the gin curti on Russian-language instruction. During the past school year, the number of Russian teachers increased; con- sequently, more elementary schools now teach Russian. Required study material now will be reduced in elementary schools where more than one class is taught In the same room, but not in elementary schools having Russian departments. Russian courses are given also at workers' elementary schools; the results there have been unsatisfactory. Enrollment has increased in the Russian courses given for children by the Hungarian-Soviet Society. More children are corresponding with students in the USSR and subscribing to Soviet youth periodicals. as The n mbbernofoafter-schoolnRussian-l Russian-language study groups has decreased, has the the number and the standards of after-school RusDuring the sian-lan coming school upsr s will be raised. An effort will be made also to provide moree tutors, be- ' cause the Russian courses given by the Hungarian-Soviet Society cannot take the place of tutoring. Instruction in Russian grammar and literature has improved in high schools during the past school year. In 1954-1955, the second-year high school students will receive new Russian textbooks, The second-year students of the workers' high school will continue to use the textbook issued by the Hungarian-Soviet Society. There will be a reduction of required study material in all high schools except those having Russian departments. (15) Another issue of Kogan_ e_veles gives an indication of the quality of Russian- language instruction. It states that the practice of grading too leniently in some elementary schools is causing many pupils to fail in the upper grades, especially when they are permitted to reach the seventh or eight grade without knowing the Russian letters or basic arithmetic. Most pupils study Russian willingly, but their knowledge is superficial. (16) -3- C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I A L Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700230125-6 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700230125-6 Scanning of Polish newspapers and periodicals for May, September, October, November, and December of the years 1950-1954, revealed continued populariza- tion of Russian-language instruction as part of the much publicized campaign of the Polish-Soviet Friendship Society. A complaint made, however, in several of these years was the lack of Polish-Soviet Friendship Society organizations in the villages, with their associateld activities, including Russian-language instructions. In 1954, the press made frank admissions in some localities that Russian-language courses could be increased. Thus, the Krakow daily, Dziennik Poleki, stated on 14 December 1954 in its comments on.the local situa- tion that no enough Russian-language courses have been organized (only 120 are active)." (17) The 1 September 1954 issue of Zycie Warzawy (Polish daily) was quoted by the emigre Polish-language newspaper, Ostatnie Aiadomosci,.as follows: "The number of our young intelligentsia is greater than before the war and is continually growing. Despite this, the number of those with a thorough knowledge of foreign languages is decreasing. Even the popular Russian lan- gaage'is not an exception... and knowledge of the Russian language is limited to what is passively absorbed." (18) The following table shows figures obtained from periodicals and newspapers scanned during the above-mentioned period. School Year No of Courses No of Students 1950-1951 9,645 (17) No flames available 1951-52 7,000 plus (20) No figures available 1952-53 No figures available 124,000 (21) 1953-54 9,000 plus 133,000 (22) A Russian-language course given on the radio twice weekly is published as a part of each issue of the Polish Radio weekly periodical, Radio i Swiat (cir- culation, 60,000 copies). The frequency of articles on Russian-language instruction and the increased concentration on improvement of classes appear to indicate that Russian-language instruction is still on the increase. Hitherto, three levels of instruction have been offered, but during the 1954-1955 school year, advanced classes for the graduates of the third level will be offered. Manuals have been improved and all types of propaganda will be used to popularize the courses. (23) The Ministry of Education, 6i r party institutes, and ARLUS (Soviet-Rumanian Friendship Society) will"enact measures to increase Russian-language instruction throughout the country. (24) The following table shows the numerical strength of Russian-language courses and students during the years indicated. School Year No of Courses No of Students 1950-51 No figures available No figures available 1951-52 4,000 plus 100,000 p}us (26 1952-53 No figures available 100,000 p1u (27 1953-54 12,000 plus 215,000 (23) Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700230125-6 ~ Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700230125-6 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/14: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700230125-6 C-O-N-F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L SOURCES 1. Sofia, Otechestven Front, 16 Sep 51 2. Sofia, Vecherni Novini, 11 Oct 51 3. Sofia, Novaya Bolgariya, No 6, Mar 54 4. Slivers, Slivensko Delo, 27 Aug 54 5. Sofia, Rabotnichesko Delo, 26 Sep 54 6. Prague, Svobodne Slovo, 11 Aug 51 7. Prague, Rude Pravo, 7 Jul 52 8. Prague, Zemedelske Noviny, 10 Jul 53 9. Rude Pravo, 21 Aug 54 10. Berlin, Russischunterricht, May 54 11. Ibid., Jun 54 12. Ibid., Oct 54 13. Berlin, Informationsbuero West, 24 Nov 54 14. Budapest, Szabad Nep, 26 Sep 54 15. Budapest, Sozneveles, 1 Aug 54 16. Ibid., 25 Nov 54 17. Krakow, Dzlennik Polski, 14 Dec 54 18. Mannheim, Ostatoie Wiadomoeci, 3 Dec 54 19. Warsaw, Trybuna Ludu, 17 Oct 51 20. Ibid., 14 Oct 51 21. Ibid., 6 Nov 52 22. Ibid., 21 May 54 23. Bucharest, Veac Nou, 10 Sep 54 24. Bucharest, Contemporanul, 24 Sep 54 25. Bucharest,?Romania Libera, 4 Sep 52 26. Bucharest, Scanteia, 24 Oct 51 27. Romania Libera, 23 Oct 53

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